Sunday, May 04, 2014

Last weekend, I was lucky enough to attend C2E2, Chicago’s
coolest comic book convention. Now, I
love C2E2 and I try to visit it in some form every year. Of course, my favorite part of any con is
artist alley. I love rubbing shoulders
with fellow independent creators, making new contacts, and finding some hidden treasures. This year, I found one such treasure. That treasure is a science fiction graphic
novel series called Runners.

Runners is about a group of space aged smugglers, desperately
trying to make a not so honest living in a not so honest galaxy. The crew is made up of the gruff Captain Roka,
his easily angered, yet pragmatic second in command Ril, the young recruit with
a kick ass glowing arm, Bocce, the gleeful, gambling sharpshooter Cember, the
enormous stone like warrior Bennesaud, and the amnesiac stowaway Sky. Together, they try to make their way in the
galaxy. Sadly, they aren’t very good at
it, because they constantly find themselves in heaps of trouble.

To put it simply, Runners is a fantastic comic. The stories for the first two graphic novels,
Bad Goods and the Big Snow Job, are fun, exciting and extremely clever. Sean Wang (who is not just the writer, but
also the artist), manages to craft a story that is witty and engaging, with a kooky
and all too loveable cast of characters.
While each installment features a standalone adventure, Wang manages to
also foreshadow some farther reaching story elements, interweave the tale with
some great character moments, and pepper in some intense and thrilling action
sequences.

To make it even better, Runners has some truly incredible
artwork. The character designs are rich with detail, yet clean and
polished. Not only that, but all of the
alien designs are so weird, so fascinating and so otherworldly. I can honestly say that I have never seen
such cool and interesting alien designs.
One of my favorites is Cember. He’s
a happy go lucky marksman who has a set of tentacles for legs, and a set of 5
or so eyes that wrap completely around his head. It’s such a cool and creative design, just
like every character in Runners.

Another thing I love about Runners is how jam packed full of
content the graphic novels are. When you
pick up a volume of Runners, you aren’t just getting a great story. In the last pages of both volumes, Wang includes
all sorts of extras, including a short story, concept designs, pinups, and even
a translation guide to help you pronounce all the crazy sci-fi alien
names. If you pronounced the name Cember
like KEM-ber, you’re doing it wrong.

Overall, I can’t say enough good things about Runners. Sure, there are a few flaws. The color work in the second volume is a bit
drab at times, particularly during the opening gun battle. A few major characters (Bocce and Bennesaud)
haven’t had much to do thus far into the tale, leaving me a little cold towards
them. Other than those minor nitpicks,
Runners is one hell of a comic!

With its cast of unique characters, fun and clever storytelling,
pulse pounding action, a witty sense of humor, and some incredible artwork,
Runners celebrates sci-fi geekdom with big ol’ stupid looking grin on its
face. With a seemingly effortless craftsmanship,
Sean Wang delivers a science fiction adventure that is more fun than any comic
has the right to be. And comics are
pretty damn fun. The biggest flaw
Runners suffers from is the fact that there is no third volume to start
reading. Well…. not yet anyways.

If you love epic sci-fi action, elaborate alien creatures,
rich new worlds, and cool star ships, I suggest you hop on over to http://runnersuniverse.com/ and start
reading it now! You won’t regret it!

I give Runners a 9.5 out of 10.

PS: Anyone else get the
Twilight Zone reference in the publisher name?
I dig it.

About Me

Hey there! I'm Ryan Keyworth. I am a writer, editor, colorist and letterer. I primarily work in the comic book realm, having written and published my creator owned comic book series, Star Crossed Galaxy. I also have written several articles, columns, and reviews all across the web. You can see some of my works hosted at PCM Tech Help Show and Fanboy Buzz. Also, check out my personal blog, The Writer's Blog!